Software Quality Days

The Software Quality Days are an annual conference for software quality and testing in German-speaking countries, which has been held in Vienna since 2009. It combines practical presentations with a scientific track, the papers of which are published by Springer Verlag. This year, the conference is taking place for the 15th time, with around 400 expected participants and an additional online day for the first time.

Key Takeaways

• The Software Quality Days have been taking place since 2009 and have grown moderately each year to currently around 350 to almost 400 participants, interrupted only by the coronavirus pandemic.
• A scientific track with submissions from all over the world, which is published by Springer Verlag, distinguishes the conference from all other testing conferences in the German-speaking world.
• Longer breaks and business speed dating as a separate conference slot are deliberate formats to prioritize personal networking over professional exchange.
• The high volume of submissions on AI topics led to a complete online track on artificial intelligence in the quality assurance and testing environment taking place for the first time one day before the face-to-face conference.
• The alternating model of Vienna and Munich came about because the majority of non-Austrians came from Germany and a first Munich test was an immediate success in terms of both participant numbers and exhibitors.

Why a specialist conference relies on presence, not online

A specialist conference thrives on personal exchange, not on the pure transfer of knowledge. Today, you can also find technical content on a specific topic on YouTube or other platforms. What you don’t get there is direct contact with people from the same discipline.

The Software Quality Days have remained true to this principle throughout their entire duration. Even during the Corona period, when the question of an online format was raised, the event remained a face-to-face conference. The reason: Networking has a different significance and a different character in direct encounters.

This focus is reflected in every detail of the schedule. The breaks are deliberately longer than at many other conferences. This creates time for discussions instead of sprinting from one track to the next.

How many small networking events became one central conference

The Software Quality Days emerged from a gap in the Austrian market. Around 2008 and 2009, there were many small networking events organized by associations and companies, each with special topics and 20 to 50 participants. A larger, central event with a specialist conference character that bundled several of these topics was missing.

Johannes Bergsmann, himself active in many of these associations, started the conference together with a few partners. The first run attracted over 200 participants. The conference has been taking place since 2009 and will be held for the 15th time in 2024.

Since then, growth has been moderate and organic, only briefly slowed down by coronavirus. Today, the number of participants is around 350, and the organizers are expecting just under 400 for the next edition.

The scientific track as a unique selling point

The scientific track is the feature that sets the Software Quality Days apart from other conferences in the German-speaking world. From the very beginning, the organizers have worked together with universities and run at least one track with scientific presentations that delve deep into the subject matter.

The academic partners are the University of Vienna and the University of Linz, as well as the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, since the conference was also held there. These partners bring with them global networks in the scientific environment, and the call for papers for the Scientific Track is advertised internationally. Accordingly, students from all over the world are attending.

Another sign of quality: the conference proceedings are published by Springer Verlag. Not everything is accepted there, but only high-quality papers. This raises the bar for submissions in the scientific field.

How the call for papers works at the Software Quality Days

The Call for Papers starts about six months before the spring conference, i.e. in the fall around September and October. After that, there are around one and a half to two months in which papers can be submitted.

There are two parallel tracks. The Practical Track runs via the regular submission procedure. The Scientific Track is handled by the universities’ own submission system, which must meet scientific standards and requires more content. A committee evaluates the scientific contributions.

A broad call for papers is part of the philosophy. Instead of only inviting well-known speakers, the aim is to attract a broad spectrum and thus a real selection of presentations. This is the lifeblood of a conference.

What the keynotes do differently

The Software Quality Days deliberately opt for a keynote at the end without a specialist focus. The idea behind this: Participants should take away something that goes beyond pure technical input and has personal value for them.

The structure over the two conference days follows a pattern. On the first day there is typically a well-known speaker from the practical community, on the second day a scientific keynote speech given by a professor. The conference concludes with a personal impulse.

Cabaret artists, personality coaches and motivational trainers have already taken part as closing speakers. This format is regularly well received because it gives the participants something to take away for themselves at the end.

Targeted promotion of networking: speed dating and longer breaks

Networking is not a by-product of the Software Quality Days, it is part of the plan. In the evening, there is a networking event with a buffet and refreshments to bring the day to a relaxed close.

A business speed dating format is added, not a separate track, but a slot of just over an hour. Every five to ten minutes, the participants move from table to table and get talking to the next person. Eight to ten contacts can be made in this round, sometimes more.

The desire for personal contacts has gained in importance since corona. Anyone who wants to network will find a clear framework for doing so here, instead of just rushing between presentations.

The Munich experiment: a change of location in alternating cycles

The relocation to Munich was a deliberate experiment that paid off. The conference was held in Vienna for more than a decade, but increasingly attracted visitors from Germany. Exhibitors and participants from Germany repeatedly asked for a local edition.

Together with a partner in Munich, the organizers decided to give it a try. The result: more exhibitors than ever before and participant numbers at the usual Viennese level. The organization at the hotel also went off without a hitch.

The successful experiment has turned into a plan. In future, the conference will take place alternately, once in Munich and once in Vienna.

Online day and a complete AI track in response to the submissions

For the first time, there will be an online day, one day before the face-to-face conference. The reason for this is of a practical nature: so many submissions were received that they could no longer be accommodated in the two face-to-face days. The location was only reserved for two days, so it was not possible to extend it to three days.

The online day comprises two tracks. One of them is entirely dedicated to artificial intelligence in the context of quality assurance, testing and the development process. The number of submissions on this topic was strikingly high, which prompted the decision to create a separate AI track.

This is in line with a broader observation from the field: no matter what topic a presentation is held on, the questions often end up turning to AI. The topic is on the minds of many.

Technical content can probably also be viewed somewhere on YouTube or other platforms if you are looking for something specific on a certain topic. I only get this character of a personal meeting and exchange at a face-to-face conference.

• Johannes Bergsmann

Where the conference is heading

An open goal is the mark of over 500 participants. With continued moderate growth, this milestone is within reach.

The basis for the presentations is solid. The quality and number of submissions are right, as is the range of speakers. It is precisely this mixture of a broad call for papers and careful selection that has sustained a specialist conference over the years.

The next edition will take place on April 24 and 25 in Vienna, preceded by an online day.